Combined odometer and speedometer.



R. G. SANFORD.

COMBINED ODOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2a, 1908.

919,776. Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. f 1 5-1 TEL W/TNESSES N VE N TOP? 130/) 62 5613241M0112 A TTOHNEYS R. G. SANFORD.

COMBINED ODOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28,1908.

91 9,776. Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. A 17 TB \m TEE-7 A TTOHNEYS WITNESSES ROBERT G.SANFORD, OF YONKER-S, NEW YORK.

COMBINED ODOMETER AND SPEEDOM ETER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 27, 1909.

Application filed April 28, 1908. Serial No. 429,640.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L Ronn'nr G. SANFORD, a cltizen of the United States,and a resident of Yonkers, in the county of lNestchester and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Combined Odometer andSpeedometer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

.This invention is an improvement in meters for registering the numberof revolutions and the rate of travel of shafts at any particularinstant, and belongs to that class of such devices which are actuated bya current of air generated from the moving part of which the measurementis taken.

The invention has for its purpose to provide' for the actuation of themeasuring means in the same direction, irrespective of the direction ofmovement of the part measured;'to dispense with the usual flexible shaftsuch as is employed when the meter is ap lied to a vehicle, and ingeneral, to provi e a comparatively simple construction having little orno tendency to vibrate.

The invention further contemplates the combining of an odometer with aspeedometer, each having an actuating windwheel withmeans for deliveringa current of airv from one wheel to another.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate.corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a vehicle with my improvedmeter applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through thecasing of the blower, illustrating the manner in which it is driven fromthe vehicle axle Fig. 3 isa section substantially on the line 3--3 ofFig. 2; Fig. 4 is a central vertical section through the meter Fig. 5 isa section substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is across-section through the meter just above the odometer; and Fig.7 is afragmentary side elevation of the upper portion of the meter.

he preferred embodiment of the inven- 51 tion includes in itsconstruction a meter casing 10 divided into three chambers orcompartments, 11, 12 and 13, respectively, the oWer compartment 11serving as anair chamber and having an inlet 14 and a regulating valve15, the intermediate compartment 12 having a windwhcel 16, by which theodometer is actuated, and the upper compartment 13 containing thespeedometer, the same comprising an actuating windwheel 17 attached to avertical spindle 18 and surrounded by an index-head 19, also attached tothe spindle. The spindle has further secured thereto, the inner end of aspiral spring 20, the outer end of which is secured to some fixed point,which in the present embodiment of the invention is shown to be anangular arm 21. The windwheel 16 is attached to a spindle 22, which,like the spindle 18, is vertically arranged and has pointed extremitiesrevolubly supported in suitable bearings. To the spindle 22 is alsoattached a gear 23, which, through suitable intermediate gearing asshown, drives the registering shaft of an odometer 24, of suitableconstruction, the odometer being preferably arranged and secured at theoutside of the casing 10 and having the index figures visible from acommon and convenient point with those of the index-head 19 of thespeedometer, the figures of the lat-- ter being observed through anopening 25 on an inclined portion of the casing, which conforms to theconical shape of the indexhead.

From the bottom coinpartment of chamber 11 lead nozzles 26, whichproject at an inclination at substantially right-angles to the blades ofthe wind-wheel 16, and are so arranged with respect to said. blades thata blast of air will at all times be in direct action on one of theseblades in any position of the wheel. From the intermediate compartment12, a nozzle 27 leads to the under side of the wind-wheel 17, andinclines similarly to the nozzles 26. A blower comprising a casing and agenerating wheel 29 is provided with a trap 30 in its upper portion,having valves 31 opening inwardly at opposite sides, and from said trapleads the outlet of the casing, which is connected to the inlet of thechamber 12 by a flexible pipe or tube At the lower portion of the blowercasing is integrally formed or otherwise suitably attached, a clamp 33,which is adapted to be applied to the axle of the vehicle wheel, as bestillustrated in Fig. 3. When the appliance is thus applied, a gear wheel34, of suitable diameter, in fixed relation to the inside of the vehiclewheel, intermeshes with a smaller gear 35 attached to the axis of thegenerating wheel '29. The meter casing is ordinarily secured at aconvenient point at the front of the vehicle, as illustrated in Fig. l,and since the pipe 32 is of a flexible nature,

the blower may swing freely with the steer 'ing mechanism.

In operation of the meter, when the vehicle is driven a blast of airwill be sent through the ipe 32, irrespective of the directionin Whicbeing efiected by the trap 30. The blast'of air from the blower Willfirst pass from the air chamber in the meter, through the nozzles 26,causing the windwheel 16 to rotate at a velocity proportionate to therate of travel, and thus actuate the speedometer through theintermediate gearing. The air thenpas'ses through the nozzle 27and'impinges on the windwheel '17, causing the rotation of the spindle18 against the tension of the spring 20, the amount of this rotationdepending of course on the force of the air blast from the nozzle, whichin turn, is dependent upon the speed of the. vehicle. The

a1 r ,'ai 'ter performing its work on the wind, Wheel 17, may ordinarilyescape from the easing through the joints and the bearings of theodometer 24, without requiring any special openings in the casing forthis purpose. The meter may be adjusted after it is applied to a vehicleor car to correctly'indicat'e the speed and the distance traveled, by.adjusting the valve 15, whichoperates to more or less relieve thepressure in the air chamber 1 1. v

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. Thecombination of a blower having a trap provided with outlet valvesat opposite sides thereof, a meter actuated by a curthe vehicle ismoving, this obviously rent of air, and a conduit leading from the eterhaving an actuating windwheel located in one of said compartments, aspeedometer having an actuating Windwhel located in another of saidcompartments, and means for directing a current of air on one of saidwindwheels and thence on- -the other wind-' wheel;

4. The combination of a casing divide( into three compartments, one ofwhich serves as an air chamber, an odometer, means for actuatingltheodometer, including a windwheel, located in another of said compart--ments, a speedometer arranged in a third-- compartment, having anactuating wind wheel, a'nozzle for directing the air from-the airchamber to the windwheel-of the odometer, and a nozzle for directing theair from the second compartment to the windwheel of the speedometer.

'In testimony whereof have signed my name to this specification in thepresenceoftwo subscribing Witnesses.

. ROBERT e. SANFORD. Witnesses; W. W. HoLT,

' i H. -D. LLOYD.

